Summary

Chapter 5: Fundamental Operating Systems 157Figure 5-32Windows Task SchedulerSystem UtilitiesThere are several utilities included with DOS and Windows that help maintain systemintegrity. Two system utilities that are useful tools for preventive maintenance are■■ScanDisk or CHKDSK: ScanDisk (Windows 2000) and CHKDSK (Windows XP)check the integrity of files and folders and scan the hard disk surface for physicalerrors. Consider using them at least once a month and also whenever a sudden loss ofpower causes the system to shut down.Defrag: As files increase in size, some data is written to the next available space on thedisk. In time, data becomes fragmented, or spread all over the hard drive. It takes timeto seek each section of the data. Defrag gathers the noncontiguous data into one place,making files run faster.You can access both of these utilities by using this path:Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk DefragmenterAutomatic UpdatesIf every maintenance task had to be scheduled every time it was run, repairing computerswould be much harder than it is today. Fortunately, tools such as the Scheduled Task Wizardallow many functions to be automated. But how can you automate the update of softwarethat has not been written?Operating systems and applications are constantly being updated for security purposes andfor added functionality. It is important that Microsoft and others provide an AutomaticUpdates service, as shown in Figure 5-33. The update service can scan the system for neededupdates and then recommend what should be downloaded and installed. The update servicecan download and install updates as soon as they are available, or it can download